Watercolor Workshops: Best Methods to Brush Up on the Basics

Modern watercolors look loose, but the subject is as dense as can be.

Earlier this summer I did a poll in my IG Stories to see where I should focus on summer content. To my surprise, I got more votes for workshops than the live event uniform!

But, since I have three watercolor workshops/courses to take, it took some time to digest enough to write about any of them.

Honestly though, I love to take workshops during the summer! They give me something to chew on during the school year. This summer, I signed up for two classes. One was Schin Loong’s Madarasz Script Class with Ink Me This. The other is Wedge Brush Wildflowers with Jen Sweeney, also on Ink Me This.

Last time, I had a ton of great things to say about Schin’s class and how I have been using what I learned there so far, this post will be on Wedge Brush Wildflowers (with a brief nod to some other watercolor resources).

Learning watercolor has been on my resolutions list every year since forever. See the brushes in that photo above? They are all ratty because I had been carrying them in my pouch for over a year, hoping for an opportunity! It didn’t come until now.

There have been years where I had a little traction with watercolor for a short space of time. But, there was never enough of an investment of time for me to feel comfortable with it. It’s a vast subject, and with a schedule like mine, I’ve found it might be best to approach it in terms of concentrating my learning in one area at a time.

To that end, there are workshops and there are courses.

In my opinion, workshops are usually pin-pointedly targeted learning to produce a predetermined project or set of projects. Courses tend to be more comprehensive where you will learn the basics of the medium, vocabulary of the medium, etc., on through how to use all of that material in any project you make. Both are useful, depending on your goals.

The Wedge Brush Wildflower Workshop with Jen Sweeney

Jen Sweeney says she teaches like a “freight train.” What it shows is she’s very knowledgeable about the wedge brush and the marks it can produce. For those who are attracted to painting florals, the wedge brush (also called a petals brush) is a no-brainer. With knowledge of just a few techniques in the handling of the brush and controlling water-to-pigment ratio, you can easily produce multiple types of flowers in a wide range of colors.

I think it’s worth noting that if you are learning this brush, it makes sense to spend lots of time just painting the petals and leaves over and over again, creating muscle memory.

I spent, on average, about a half an hour each night just trying to get the basics right. Then, I tried the flower forms. It was still pretty tricky. But, I think I’m on the right track!

Maybe you will learn so quickly that there will be a project at the end of the workshop…maybe not. But, in my opinion, for those just beginning with this particular brush shape, learning to create the strokes at will in any direction you choose is the most important takeaway from her workshop.

It comes with an extensive workbook too. So, once you’ve gotten the brushstrokes down, you can focus on the flower forms themselves. With this workshop, when access to the class ends, the workshop will be a great way to keep up with practicing those on your own time.

While learning watercolor with this brush is fun, watercolor on its own is a hurdle. Learning to produce anything that doesn’t resemble unintentional, nebulous clouds of color is a stretch in the beginning. At least, that seems to be the case for me.

There is a sensitivity that needs to be developed to know how much water and pigment is on your brush, what consistency of paint you’re mixing, how damp the paper is and how you can use that to your advantage, etc. As with any other practice, a lot of it is just through developing your own awareness and feel for the medium. That’s not usually an overnight thing, and you have to be willing to fail before you fly. But what’s great about this course is it’s bite-size, so you can consume a lot of content, specifically on one brush, in one, short workshop, and then move on from there. Bonus: Much of it is applicable to watercolor with other brush shapes as well.

There are a couple courses I want to share with you. I’ll briefly describe them below. But, you’ll have to come back for those!

Watercolor Garden Studio with Alex Kincaid

I signed up for this course when it opened this past December. Alex Kincaid’s Watercolor Garden Studio platform tends to be more comprehensive in terms of learning the vocabulary of watercolors and how to use them, specifically for painting florals. But, the techniques can be used anywhere.

So far, I’ve only gotten to the sampler. I blame my schedule for that. It’s tough to get to do it. But, what I like about this platform is that there are levels that Alex has mapped out that will help me navigate where I am at any given time. The principles build on each other through the assignments, etc. It’s a really well thought-out approach to learning the medium.

So far, I’ve gotten to where I need to do the first master project…A rosebud. I’ll let you know when I’ve mastered it!

The Garden Studio also comes with a built in FB group where the work is shared and you can get feedback. There’s a wide range of experience in the group and the positivity is infectious. I like it!

Billy Showell Watercolor Course

I actually won a subscription for a year to the Billy Showell School or Botanical Art course! I can honestly say, I felt pretty intimidated to even go to the site to try anything! Billy Showell has been in the business of painting watercolor florals for years and I probably own all of her books. Back when I first decided I wanted to learn, she was one of the major players in the space of watercolor botanicals. Her work is impeccable!

Billy’s site has a range of tutorials from beginner to advanced. She uses one to three brushes to help you determine which projects to try, with one brush being on the starter end of the spectrum and the three brushes on the more advanced end of the spectrum. The starters are shorter tutorials progressing to more challenging and longer, sustained paintings as you move to three brush tutorials.

For community, Billy’s site has forums for the tutorials. So, you can learn along with those who are completing the tutorials with you. Forums are always a little tricky because people are so used to communing on large platforms like Facebook. But, should those sites ever fail, it’s nice to have dedicated places for your interests like the forums on Billy’s site.

What’s Next?

Honestly, wayyyy more practice! When you learn a new art language, I think it’s important to immerse yourself in it to get comfortable with it. I plan on eating, sleeping and breathing watercolor for awhile before I’ll feel really comfortable with the medium.

What I do wonder now is which I will be more attracted to…technically accurate watercolor florals or a looser, painterly approach. I know with oils I was always enamored with the space in between where life and imitation met…I suspect it will be similar for watercolor. But, learning everything I can at the onset before I start thinking about developing “a style” will equip me for whatever path I choose.

Right now, I’m interested in producing a lot of ugly ducklings. I wrestle around with a watercolor, I look at my fledgling attempts and I think, “That’s a nice bit right there…Yeah, later on, I’m going to really get that!” 😌